Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Housing: Energy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that building standards on construction of new housing developments maximise energy efficiency.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: In December 2021, the Government amended Building Regulations to require new buildings, as of June 2022, to meet higher energy efficiency standards. This means that new homes will produce 30% less Carbon Dioxide emissions compared to previous 2013 standards with new non-domestic properties producing 27% less Carbon Dioxide emissions. The amendment also included improvements in the energy efficiency standards required of new and replacement thermal elements, replacement building services, and controlled fittings when undertaking a renovation or extension of an existing building.

Buildings: Energy

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have madeusing building regulations to improve the energy resilience of properties.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: In December 2021, the Government amended Building Regulations to require new buildings, as of June 2022, to meet higher energy efficiency standards. This means that new homes will produce 30% less Carbon Dioxide emissions compared to previous 2013 standards with new non-domestic properties producing 27% less Carbon Dioxide emissions. The amendment also included improvements in the energy efficiency standards required of new and replacement thermal elements, replacement building services, and controlled fittings when undertaking a renovation or extension of an existing building.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Emergency Services: Industrial Disputes

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to introduce new anti-strike laws to prevent walkouts by emergency service workers.

Lord Callanan: While the Government recognises the importance of the right to strike, we need to balance this against the need to protect the public and keep them safe. The Government is therefore reviewing our industrial relations legal framework to ensure that it gets this balance right. More details will be given in due course.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Transcaucasus: Roads

Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan regarding reports of the blocking of the Lachin Corridor between Armenia and Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh on 12 December.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government has made clear that blocking the Lachin corridor and disrupting gas supplies in winter risk severe humanitarian consequences. We continue to urge the governments of both Azerbaijan and Armenia to abide by all ceasefire commitments in good faith. This is consistent with our support for international efforts to facilitate a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the conflict. The Minister for Europe reinforced this position in calls with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers in September, in recent meetings with senior officials from both capitals, and in meetings in London with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors to the UK.

Transcaucasus: Roads

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to support the re-opening of the road from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, following its blocking by Azeri forces; and what discussions they have had with the government of Russia as the mediator and guarantor of the ceasefire in that region.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is clear that blocking the Lachin corridor and disrupting gas supplies in winter risk severe humanitarian consequences. We continue to urge the governments of both Azerbaijan and Armenia to abide by all ceasefire commitments in good faith. This is consistent with our support for international efforts to facilitate a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the conflict. The Minister for Europe reinforced this position in calls with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers in September and in meetings in London with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors to the UK and other senior officials from Yerevan and Baku. Following Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, the UK Government has suspended all engagement with the Russian authorities except on a very limited number of issues including the Russian Government's reprehensible actions in Ukraine. The UK Government currently has no plans to engage directly with the Government of Russia on the South Caucasus region.

Mikheil Saakashvili

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Georgia, if any, for the release from prison on health grounds of Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are following former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili's treatment during his imprisonment closely. Our Ambassador to Georgia has met members of Mr Saakashvili's family to discuss his detention on two occasions. The FCDO raised his treatment with the Georgian Ambassador to London on 2 November, and Embassy officials also met representatives of the United National Movement political party to discuss his health, most recently on 2 and 14 December. Mr Saakashvili's case was also discussed in a meeting between our Ambassador to Georgia and Prime Minister Garibashvili on 15 December. We have repeatedly emphasised that Mr Saakashvili should receive treatment in line with international human rights standards, and urged that any further court hearings are in line with due process and the rule of law.

Mikheil Saakashvili

Lord Hannan of Kingsclere: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Georgia regarding the continuing detention of Mikheil Saakashvili, whose health has reported to have “deteriorated sharply”; and what plans they have to encourage that government to release him on humanitarian grounds.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are following former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili's treatment during his imprisonment closely. Our Ambassador to Georgia has met members of Mr Saakashvili's family to discuss his detention on two occasions, the FCDO raised his treatment with the Georgian Ambassador to London on 2 November, and Embassy officials also met representatives of the United National Movement political party to discuss his health, most recently on 2 and 14 December. Mr Saakashvili's case was also discussed in a meeting between our Ambassador to Georgia and Prime Minister Garibashvili on 15 December. We have repeatedly emphasised that Mr Saakashvili should receive treatment in line with international human rights standards, and urged that any further court hearings are in line with due process and the rule of law. We will continue to highlight the importance of Mr Saakashvili's treatment in line with international human rights standards, and that any further hearings are in line with the rule of law and due process in discussions with the Georgian Government.

Ukraine: International Assistance

The Earl of Dundee: To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) preparations are being made, (2) objectives are being defined, and (3) partners are being sought, for the international donor and recovery conference for Ukraine taking place in London.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Plans for the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference are under development. It will be a high-profile event co-hosted with the Government of Ukraine, and attended by senior representatives from G7 and other international partners, International Finance Institutions, the private sector and civil society. We expect it will focus on actions to support Ukraine's recovery and economic prosperity as well as build support for the reforms needed to make these a success. We are in discussion with the Government of Ukraine about the shape and objectives of the conference.

Ukraine: International Assistance

The Earl of Dundee: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the G7 Conferences in Berlin on 25 October and Paris on 13 and 14 December, on what date the international donor and recovery conference for Ukraine will take place in London.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK will host, jointly with Ukraine, the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference on 21-22 June in London. The date and location of the conference was announced at the G7 Leaders virtual meeting on Monday 12 December.

Ukraine: International Assistance

The Earl of Dundee: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how (1) the Council of Europe, (2) the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and (3) their respective national parliamentary delegations, might support the international donor and recovery conference for Ukraine taking place in London and its outcome.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK will host, jointly with Ukraine, the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference on 21-22 June in London. Plans for the URC23 are under development, and the size, scope, participants and objectives of the conference are under discussion but it will be a major, high-profile event attended by senior representatives from G7 and other international and multilateral partners, International Finance Institutions, the private sector and Civil Society.

Ukraine: Children

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the help provided so far to children in Ukraine whose schooling has been interrupted by the conflict in that country; and whether they will change their current level of support to those children.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has contributed £15 million to UNICEF's appeal for Ukraine and a further £5 million to UNICEF in Moldova. Our support has helped UNICEF provide formal and non-formal education to over 850,000 children, as well as access for Ukrainian women and children to essential services including health, nutrition, and specialist trauma and Gender Based Violence services. Delivery of this assistance is ongoing. An assessment of UNICEF delivery will be published in the Annual Review of the UK's humanitarian support. Decisions on humanitarian spending beyond March 2022, including to education, are to be determined.

Gibraltar: UK Relations with EU

Baroness Northover: To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) commitments, and (2) reassurances, they have made to the government of Gibraltar in the event that there is no negotiated outcome to the issues raised by the UK–EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government continues to work alongside the Government of Gibraltar to secure a treaty with the EU, in respect of Gibraltar's relationship with the EU. Following meetings on 14 and 15 December the Foreign Secretary, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, EU Vice President and Spanish Foreign Minister all reiterated their commitment to that outcome. The UK Government is working alongside the Government of Gibraltar to prepare for the possibility of no negotiated outcome. This includes projects to increase infrastructure resilience at the land border and port, and sharing of expertise. The UK will stand fully behind Gibraltar in any scenario.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry for Ukraine that sexual and gender-based violence has been committed against children as young as four; and what steps they are taking to ensure that perpetrators of such crimes are held to account.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UN Commission of Inquiry's findings, including credible evidence of sexual violence against children, highlight the scope and scale of the atrocities committed in Ukraine, supporting claims that Russian forces are responsible for serious violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes.The UK is supporting the investigations of both the Ukrainian authorities and the International Criminal Court (ICC). This includes our £2.5 million Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group contribution that supports Ukraine's investigations and prosecution of core international crimes, and a £1 million contribution, in addition to our £10.5 million annual contribution, to the ICC.